If Everyone Cared
by Akatsuki.Unknown
Summary: AU. Naruto has been thrown into a world of the unfamiliar. A new school, and a whole new life. On the first day, he met a ravenhaired boy. Can they help each other find a glimpse of elusive happiness? SasuNaru
1. Hate Me

**Authors Note: **This is a Naruto/Sasuke fanfiction. If you don't like it, don't read it. The inspiration for this came out of no where, and it seemed like it'd be a fun story to write. This is _not_ a one-shot, but I don't know how often I'll be able to update. All reviews are deeply appreciated, and flames will be used to warm my hot chocolate.

**Disclaimer: **By definition, it is a statement disclaiming something, especially responsibility. This being said, I do not own Naruto. I have no money, so don't try to sue me.

**Warning: **This is, as stated before, a **boy on boy **story. Call it yaoi, shounenai, whatever, it will not change whether you like it. So I'm telling you now, if you don't like it, **don't read.** We all have our opinions, and I respect that, so please, respect mine. Now Enjoy!

**If Everyone Cared**  
Chapter One: Hate Me

The annoyance known as an alarm clock flooded his senses, with it's unwanted, and overly generic bell choir he'd come to loathe. He swatted at random, until he finally found the off button, groaning as the effort forced him to become acquainted with the floor. _'What a great way to start a Monday morning.'_ He pushed himself off the floor, glaring at the alarm clock.

This is how most of his mornings had started since the move. He hadn't gotten used to the house, the neighborhood, the jobs, the school, or anything else he'd encountered. The house was opposite of his old apartment, less homely and way too big for his liking. He'd purchased it, only because of the fact it was within walking distance to the school, and his job. On top of that, it was the only thing for sale, and within his price range. The school was even worse. It started at the most unholy hour that it could think of! Who is up to learning at seven in the morning?! He was barely up to working at that hour! He'd been used to sleeping until at least nine, as his old school started at nine forty-five, and was right next to the apartment complex he inhabited.. He was losing precious sleep for an education and money, as his jobs also started at seven.

As he continued his morning routine, these thoughts bounced around his head, not unlike a ping-pong game. Which reminded him: He hated ping-pong. He sighed as he paused in the act of nibbling a piece of toast, to check off the list of things to do in the morning. Everything was complete, and he quickly jotted down a note to himself to make sure to clean the house today. His job had caused him to neglect that fact, but since today was the first day of school, he'd taken off of work, and now only worked part time.

He locked the door, before tucking his keys safely into his pocket, and headed towards the school. Konoha High had never had an appealing sound to him, and he was sure the people wouldn't be anymore pleasant than the name.

As he stepped foot on the campus, no one gave him strange looks, even dressed in bright orange pants, and black shirt. As a matter of fact, no one even noticed him, or looked at him. It was as if he didn't exist. That, however, didn't dim the grin that had spread across his face as he made his way toward the office. To the trained eye, though, it was easy to tell the boy wasn't actual happy.

He glided into the office with ease, stepping up to the desk. He gave the secretary a dazzling grin as he stated his purpose. "Uzumaki Naruto, new student. I need my schedule." His voice was polite but energetic, and slightly loud.

She returned a kind smile. "I do believe I have that around here. I'm Shizune, by the way." She then began searching her desk, which was meticulously clean. "Ah, here we are." she handed me a slip of paper, and a map. "I hope you enjoy it here."

Naruto nodded, though his mind laughed, _'Yeah, because school is enjoyable.'_ He kept his thoughts to himself as he exited and examined his map, and schedule. "Math first?" he whined. Already, he could tell, this year would be torture. He kept his smile in place, and his eyes guarded, no matter the effort as he continued to stare down the map while his feet led him forward. His motion proceeded backwards, however, when he ran into something. Or rather, someone.

He landed, sprawled across the floor, a voice calling to him.

"You should watch where you're going, or you might not like the consequences." The cold voice responded to being ran into. Naruto looked up, his sapphire eyes meeting coal black. Black hair framed a pretty face, but it was still easy to tell it was masculine, and not belonging to that of a female. He was well groomed, and had an aura, that seemed to push people away. He was completely emotionless, though a look of annoyance crossed his face when Naruto didn't move or respond. "Dobe, are you even listening?"

Naruto shook himself mentally as he stood back up, noticing this man was taller than him. "Yeah, I'm listening. Sorry I ran into you." It took a moment to realize that the boy had insulted him. "Hey, I'm not a dobe!"

"You must be blonder than you seem then." the boy retorted.

"Teme, what is your problem?!" he growled. He hadn't done anything wrong, and already this boy seemed to hate him. He didn't respond, and instead walked away.

"Loser." The blonde heard him mutter as he walked away. He didn't dignify it with an answer, and instead walked the opposite way, not noticing how empty the halls were. Naruto barely made it down the hall, before the late bell rang loudly, causing him to groan inwardly. Today was definitely not his day.

He glared as he made his way from his last class, but as quickly as the emotion came, it flitted from his face, and was replaced by a grin. The boy would not let school ruin his act. The day had been monotonous, filled with introductions, and awkward greeting from classmates who didn't know how to receive the orange clad boy, with whiskers marring his tan face. He'd only seen the stranger he'd ran into that earlier that day, twice more - once at lunch, and once in creative writing. He'd ignored him both times, as if Naruto didn't exist, and nothing had happened.

Naruto never noticed, however, that when he was daydreaming, and staring out the window in creative writing, that the boy had glanced over, and studied him. They didn't even know each others names, and they already had a bond of some sort form: a bond of curiosity and dislike. The raven haired teen had seen a look in Naruto's eyes, that Naruto himself didn't know had shown. The look had hinted at the boys mask, and now the boy with cold eyes wanted to discover what he was truly like. He would never say it allowed, but the blonde intrigued him.

Said raven was walking out of the building at the same time that Naruto stepped into the court yard. They had been exiting in opposite directions, and after everyone had already vacated the building, and the motion of the other caught there attention. Their eyes met for a brief second, before Naruto looked away, and started towards the main gate. The raven looked towards the gate and then to the student parking lot, before deciding to head to his shiny black Volvo.

He started the engine, which purred quietly, before pulling out and into the street. He glanced into the rear view, seeing the blonde walking alone. He sighed, reversing until he pulled beside him. He rolled down his window, and peered at the oblivious boy.

"Hey," he called to get the boys attention. His head snapped towards the driver. "Do you want a ride?"

The raven didn't know why he was offering the warmth of his car to a stranger, but for some reason he was. The blonde shook his head however. "I'll be fine, I'm only three blocks away from the school."

A drop of rain crashed to the blonde's nose, causing him to shudder. Then another, until it was nearly down-pouring. It only had taken a matter of seconds for the storm to come, and the blonde to become soaked. "Get in." the raven commanded, not taking no for an answer, now that it was raining, which would leave a certain blonde freezing.

Naruto didn't try to argue this time, as he was already shivering. He sprinted to the other side of the car, opening and closing the door quickly, sitting in the car, with his arms wrapped around himself. The raven turned the heat up, and Naruto shot him a grateful look.

"So, what's your name anyway?" the raven asked in a nonchalant way, though inside, he was truly curious.

"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto." the blonde shuddered, still slightly cold. "What should I call you? I don't think it'd be polite to call you 'teme' when you're driving me home."

"Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke." he responded, "And I'd appreciate if you didn't call me teme." he nodded.

The blonde chuckled. "I'll try not to, as long as you don't call me dobe."

"You're no fun." Sasuke rolled his eyes, letting some emotions leak out. Naruto would never know because it was his first day, but this was the first time Sasuke had acted like a normal human around anyone. Sasuke himself didn't know why, but the blonde made him feel like he could be himself.

The blonde laughed at that, "That's only cause you don't know me."

"Heh, maybe that will change?" Sasuke questioned. "And where am I going?" The blonde hadn't noticed that they weren't moving yet.

"Oh! We're going to Kina Road. I'll let you know once we turn onto it." he informed, "And yes, maybe that will change." then in an undertone that the blonde thought Sasuke couldn't hear, he added, "for the first time..."

Sasuke acted as if he didn't hear, but deep in his heart - which he does indeed have - he knew what that was like. He hadn't had a true friend, since his parents died when he was very young. He wondered what Naruto's story was.

"So, what do you do in your spare time?" Naruto asked awkwardly, the boys expression shy. Sasuke briefly wondered why, before he decided he should answer.

"Not much really. Mostly fool around on my guitar I guess." Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as a hand went to his mouth. "Forget you heard that." he mumbled through his fingers.

Naruto tilted his head, the kitsune confused. "Why?"

"You wouldn't understand, since you're new to the town." He mumbled again, replacing his hand on the steering wheel.

"Then make me understand." the blonde scowled.

"You wouldn't!" Sasuke snapped back.

"Shut up! How do you know what I would and wouldn't understand?!" Naruto shouted, turning a penetrating glare on the raven.

"Just shut up." Sasuke's voice was cold again.

"No, not until you explain." Naruto stubbornly crossed his arms.

"Drop it."

"No!"

Sasuke hit the brake, causing the blonde to jolt forward. "You want to know so damn badly?!" he finally lost his cool.

"Yes!" Naruto said, but was slightly more withdrawn then before. He didn't expect Sasuke to snap.

"Fine! No one knows me. I don't want anyone to know me, and here you are destroying that! I don't show emotions in front of people, and here you are pissing me off. What the hell kind of effect you have on me, I don't know, but its taking me from my comfort zone. How the fuck do you expect to understand that?!"

"Because I do the same thing, teme!" Naruto shouted back, immediately shutting Sasuke up. "You think you've got it so damn bad? At least people notice you! You have a fan club, you have people you could open up to, I never had any of that! My parents died when I was one, and no one wanted me. I was bounced between homes, orphanages, the streets, until last year. I've never had a friend in my life, and no one knows how I feel. You want to know how I can understand? That's how!"

The blonde's heavy breaths filled the silence, until he realized what he just said. "Shit." he mumbled under his breath.

"Naruto..." Sasuke said softly, but that blonde wouldn't look at him.

"Are you gonna hate me as well?" he said softly, all traces of his mask gone. He chanced a glance at Sasuke, who saw the pain and sorrow in his eyes.

"Of course not." Sasuke said automatically. "Naruto, I couldn't hate you if I tried. I could insult you all I want, but I would never be able to bring myself to mean them. Don't forget that. Ever."

Naruto studied his face, and saw that he was completely serious. A small, tentative smile spread across his face, and his eyes brightened slightly. "Thank you." his voice was softer, than the loud voice that he had before. Sasuke figured this was the real him, and not the mask. "And Sasuke?"

"Yeah, Naruto?"

"You don't have to pretend with me. I'll accept you for who you are. I may play fight with you, but no matter what, you will always be my friend. Unless you want me to go away, I'll always be here."

Sasuke, not good at showing emotions, hid his eyes from the blonde's view, and muttered, "Where do I go now?" having turned onto Kina Road.

"Oh." Naruto's cheeks were painted a slight pink. "I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable... And it'll be the third house after this cross street."

The ride progressed in silence, until he pulled up to a two bedroom house, painted an off white, which looked like it belonged in a time that had far past. "This is it?" Sasuke asked, curious.

"Yeah, would you like to come in? It's no problem, and I figure you might be hungry or something, and you did just drive me home. It is polite to do that, right?" Naruto said uncertainly.

"Sure." Sasuke smiled, noting the blonde's expression in amusement. After parking, and turning the ignition off, they both stepped out. As they walked towards the house Naruto whispered, "You should lock your car. I don't trust this neighborhood. Crime rates high."

Sasuke turned around and pressed the automatic lock, as Naruto unlocked his home. He held the door open as Sasuke entered his house, and glanced around curiously. "It's not much, really, but an empty home, but this is it." Naruto said as he set his books on a counter. "It needs to be cleaned, I know, but I've been so busy with work, that I haven't had the time." The blonde had already removed his shoes, and had started tidying up.

"Naruto, this is pretty damn clean already." Sasuke noted, but the boy before him shook his head.

"No it's not. It still needs to be cleaned more. ACHOO!" The blonde sneezed.

Sasuke gave Naruto a suspicious look. "You're not overworking yourself, are you?"

Naruto sneezed three times in a row before responding, "Of course not, Sasuke."

"Naruto, this house looks like it's inhabited by more than just you. Chill for a second and relax. There's a difference between clean and spotless. You're being a perfectionist."

"It's fine. I'm used to doing this." Naruto replied, before placing a hand on the wall to steady himself.

"Naruto, sit down." Sasuke demanded, worry leaking into his dark orbs.

"I'm fine, Sasuke." Naruto continued to insist.

Sasuke sighed, walking over to him, and placing his hand on his forehead, ignoring Naruto's protest. He quickly withdrew his hand. "Naruto, you're burning up!"

"I'm fine." He meekly protested. "Maybe you should leave. You probably have stuff you have to get done anyways..."

Sasuke sighed in slight defeat, "You are correct, but don't think this is over."

"I wouldn't dream of it." the kitsune rolled his eyes, sighing.

Sasuke nodded, before showing himself to the door. He looked over his shoulder and added as an afterthought, "Maybe you should take tomorrow off." And than he was gone.

"Don't count on it." Naruto said softly to himself. How could he let this boy get under his skin so easily, and let him see the emotions that lay under his mask. No one had ever been this close. No one! And yet, this raven haired boy with onyx eyes, whom he just met today, had so easily gotten him to open up and be himself - someone he had almost forgotten existed. On one hand, he liked the feeling of being free. Yet, on the other hand, the one he tended to favor more, it was a scary thought. For someone to be that close to him was almost like a taboo.

Sasuke had already returned to his house, but his thoughts weren't so different from a certain blonde we know and love. His resolve to never let anyone close had been broken, and by a boy he barely knew! Of course, he acknowledge the fact that the boy more than likely would have figured out anyway. He could tell by the way he talked that he was way smarter than he let on. However, this was no excuse to let the boy get close. If anyone at school ever found out... Well, he didn't really want to think about it.

At the end of the day, however, both boys came to terms with the fact that there was nothing they could do to change what had happened. If they were both being truthful to themselves, they would've seen that a friend is exactly what they wanted, and what they needed. It gave them the sliver of hope they needed to continue awaking in the morning and dragging themselves out of bed. And for now, that was enough.

**Authors Note: **So, there's the first chapter! Did it move too fast? Don't worry, things aren't all going to happen so quickly. Just wait until the next day at school! I'm sorry if Sasuke and Narutp seemed a little OOC. And please review. I do appreciate feedback, and constructive criticism. Flames, as stated before, will be used to warm my hot chocolate. And marshmallows.

**Songs that fueled my writing: **_Pain_ by Jimmy Eats World, _Outside_ by Staind, _Hard Trance_ by Darude, _Hate Me _by Blue October, _Misery Business _by Paramore, _Down with the Sickness_ by Disturbed, _Riot_ by Three Days Grace, _Land of Confusion_ by Disturbed, _Technologic_ by Daft Punk, _Fix You_ by Coldplay, _Empty_ by Unloco, _It's Always Raining Inside my Head _by Staind, _Afraid to be Alone _Staind, _My World_ by SR-71, _Never Let You Down_ by Verve Pipe, _If Everyone Cared _by Nickelback, _How I Disappear _by My Chemical Romance, _Getting Away with Murder _by Papa Roach, _The Truth about Heaven _by Armor for Sleep. **Not that you care. **

**Review!**


	2. My World

**Author's Note:** Okay, so, here's the next chapter. Now, before you go on and read, there's just a few things I want to make clear about this chapter. It feels to me like I'm rushing into this, so I'm trying to slow it down a bit, but that might not happen until the next chapter. Also, just to be clear, Naruto had not met Sasuke before his first day of school. This chapter's going to explain some of what happened to Naruto earlier in his life, and a very small bit on why Sasuke is how he is. And just a reminder, this **is a Sasuke/Naruto**. This is a **boy on boy **story. Call it yaoi, shounenai, whatever, it will not change whether you like it. So I'm telling you now, if you don't like it, **don't read.** We all have our opinions, and I respect that, so please, respect mine. And to the two of you who were kind enough to review - dragonrider713 and injuiin-luna - thank you. You two are my favorite people of the week, so I'll give you a cookie! -tosses cookies- You two really made my day - week even - so I'll dedicate this chapter to you two!

**Warning:** As mentioned before boy/boy pairing, and there's a bit of foul language... to put it lightly... and Sakura bashing.

**Disclaimer: **I do not, nor will I ever, own Naruto. It's the sad, pathetic fact of life. Enjoy this fan made story though!

**If Everyone Cared**

Chapter Two: My World

"Sasuke." He felt himself being shaken. "Sasuke, it's time to get up."

His blurry, sleep-filled eyes slid open, and he blinked rapidly until his vision had cleared, only to see the one cause of all his pain. "Don't touch me, asshole."

His focus now set, he was staring - or rather glaring - into the smirking face of his older brother. "Tsk, tsk, Sasuke-_kun_. You know mother wouldn't approve of that language."

In an instant, the raven haired boy was holding the man's throat tightly in his grasp. "Don't talk about her. You're the one who killed them. Don't speak so fucking lightly about them, Itachi!" he growled, his anger radiating from every action he took. Itachi knew exactly how to push the boys buttons, and enjoyed every minute of it.

"Foolish little brother..." he paused as Sasuke's grip tightened slightly, "You're going to be late to school if you keep this up."

Sasuke growled before letting his brother free from his grip. Not a hair was misplaced on his head, and he continued smirking as he felt the glare from the younger boy. The two boys had never gotten along as children, and their relationship went from dislike to hate, after Itachi killed their parents - which the authorities never found out, because Itachi made it appear natural.

As Sasuke pulled on a pair of black cargo pants, and a blue hoodie over his white wife beater, he seethed about his brother, and everything he had done to him. The hoodie was inscribed with the Uchiha family crest, and was one of the few possessions the boy was proud of.

After finishing his morning routine, he barreled down the stairs, ignoring his brother's snide comments, as he slammed the door in the older boy's face. Sasuke had come to loathe coming home, and having to deal with his rather feminine brother, who was also more dangerous than anyone the news reported.

After settling into his car, the gas petal was pushed down harshly, causing it to accelerate quickly. Rolling his window down, he let the wind whip his anger away. Living with his brother had been hell for the teen, but he hadn't earned enough money to move out, and his attitude didn't suit many jobs. Though he was eighteen now, in his last year of high school, the boy didn't have much choice if he wanted to live physically comfortably.

He pulled up into the school, quickly dropping to the legal speed limit, before slipping into the student parking lot. Even from the distance, he could see an orange blob bounding into school grounds as if he hadn't a care in the world. Sasuke's face remained passive, but inside he was studying just how contradictory the two sides of Naruto were. He also noticed that the blonde's movement was different then before: less graceful. As he stepped out of his car, however, he had bigger things to worry about.

"Sasuke-kun!!" A shrill female voice met his ears as soon as he took a step towards the school. He turned to see the obnoxious girl who was already in front of him, as if a lost puppy. Her pink hair was as obnoxious as she was, causing him to inwardly cringe. He knew her name to be Sakura, and also knew her as the president of his fan club. He chose to ignore her, just walking towards his destination as if she wasn't there. He continued to ignore her and her indignant protests, and 'I love you's. As a matter of fact, he didn't even pause in his graceful strides until he saw a flash of blonde hair.

They both met the others gaze, almost as if it was the first time seeing each other.

"Uzumaki." Sasuke nodded.

"Uchiha." Naruto stopped himself by calling him 'Sasuke'. He didn't quite understand it, but he knew Sasuke wouldn't like it very much if they acted like friends. And with the simple acknowledgment, Sasuke continued walking, leaving a slightly confused blonde, and a jealous, hormone ridden teenage girl. The bell to get to class chimed loudly, jolted everyone to attention, as they migrated to the torture chambers, known as classes.

-.xx.xx.-

Naruto was practically bouncing in his seat, as he awaited the bell to ring, and signal the end of his least favorite class of science, and dismiss them to lunch. He was absolutely famished by now, having skipped breakfast from getting up late. He wanted to slurp down some ramen noodles, but there was no ramen at school, so he had decided to settle for the simplicity of whatever in the lunchroom looked edible.

The bell interfered with the last of his teacher's lecture, but he couldn't care less - he was on his feet and out the door before the third ring sounded. He swiftly, or as swiftly as he could, dodged between his peers, and made it to the lunchroom before anyone else. He bounded through the line, buying french fries - as he trusted none of the other selections- and made his way to the table farthest from the door, and closest to the windows.

He absentmindedly ate his french fries, as he looked out the window. The campus was actually quite exquisite if one paid attention. As he studied the landscape, and the way the sun hit certain things, causing glistening rainbow effects, he didn't notice the cafeteria slowly filling with people, or the incessant chatter that now surrounded him. His eyelids suddenly felt heavy, causing him to lay his head against the cool table surface. He felt so tired, and didn't want to move. It was not until an open palm collided with the table he sat at, that he snapped back to reality, with a jolt upward, causing him to be slightly dizzy.

"I don't know who you think you are, but you'd better stay away from Sasuke-kun!" a furious feminine voice bombarded his ears. He winced at the frequency of the girl's voice, staring at her like she had a second head.

"Um, excuse me?" the blonde responded, a puzzled look touched his eyes, replacing his normal grin. There were a few things Naruto truly hated when it came to people: hate without a reason, obsessions, and ignorance. Sure there were a few more, but that's not the point.

"You heard me. You think you're so high and mighty, just because Sasuke-kun talked to you and all, but I am the president of his fan club, and you look like you would corrupt our Sasuke-kun! So stay away from him." she demanded, tossing her short pink hair over her shoulder. By now, Naruto had become quite perturbed. This woman was fitting all three options of things he hated, and that only fueled his anger, as well as a pounding headache.

"Look, you," he stood, his voice quavering in anger. This girl had no right to speak to him like that. Hell, he hadn't even met her before, didn't even know her name, and she already disliked him. And obviously she was obsessed with Sasuke. "I don't know who you think _you_ are, but you're really pissing me off."

"You're the one pissing me, and every other girl at this school, off. So don't talk to me like that."

The blonde glared up at the pink haired girl. "You really don't understand anything, do you? You're an ignorant bitch, and I hate that about people. You want me to stay away from Uchiha-san? Fuck you."

The girl's mouth slacked in shock. "And you know what, you don't have the right to tell someone what they can and can't do. Do you even really know Sasuke? I heard you this morning, proclaiming your love to him, but what the hell do you know? Sure, I'm new to this school, new to this area, but what the hell do you know about him?! For all you know, I could be his long lost best friend. You don't know anything." he seethed completely losing himself to his anger. The girl noticed with slight fright that a red tint was replacing his normal crystal blue eyes. He breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself down, and the girl finally found her tongue again.

"I- I know plenty about him." she stumbled over her words, "And I can tell already that you will be a bad influence on him." She then turned, and stumbled away, leaving Naruto to dwell on her idiocy. He sat back, half satisfied, half disconcerted. He didn't like to lose his temper, especially around other people, but it felt good to give her a piece of his mind.

He sighed, running fingers through his hair, before putting on his grinning mask once more. He didn't notice Sasuke watching all the while, from a table stocked full of fangirls. They were all trying to get his attention, but he was ignoring them in order to try and figure out more about the blonde. Yes, he had completely ignored the tanned blonde boy, except for this morning, but that didn't stop him from glancing at him, trying to catch him with his mask down, and see who he really was. That was how Sasuke's mind worked: find the truth, if possible. And Naruto was the only puzzle in this school left to solve.

-.xx.xx.-

The rest of the day drug on without further event. Girls took to glaring at Naruto, and he fought back the urge to tell them to go to hell. He didn't even know where this anger had come from, but all the hateful glances were enough to send him over the edge. After awhile, he began to ignore them, and simply kept up his grinning facade.

Sasuke had to deal with the normal fawning of girls, who knew nothing about him. Somehow, though it couldn't have been hard, Naruto had picked up on that fact. Sasuke was almost grateful that Naruto had snapped at Sakura, for he hit the nail on the head, and even caused her to stutter. That had made his day, just seeing the lost look in her eyes as she let that fact consume her.

Naruto made his way slowly through the quickly thinning crowd of students that lined the hall. He had left his last class later than anyone else, not wanting to join the stampede out, so now he lazily made progress towards the sunshine. The campus was almost clear by the time he finally stepped foot outside, but that's the way he preferred it. He noticed, in passing, a certain raven climbing into his ride, and drive off, at what was at least twice the legal speed limit. He didn't think much of it at the time, and just continued on his way home.

He didn't even notice when the car made a sharp U-turn towards him, and stopped next to him.

"Dobe, get in the car." Sasuke sighed.

"Uh, okay." Naruto replied, confused by his demand.

"You're not feeling well, idiot, so don't push yourself." Sasuke pointed out.

"I'm feeling fine, teme." Naruto wobbled slightly, causing Sasuke to give him a pointed look.

"Look, you can't even walk straight today, don't think I haven't noticed."

"I have been walking fine!" he stated indignantly.

"Like this morning, stumbling through the gate, but disguising it as bouncing and prancing, and what not?"

"That never-"

"And at lunch? You felt bad enough to use the cold that radiates from the tables as a pillow. You were so tired you didn't even finish your fries."

"What are you, stalking me?" Naruto said, not being able to come up with an argument. It was true, he felt horrible, but like everything else, he hid it.

"You look like you're going to pass out, get in the car."

"But I-"

"Get in the car." Sasuke said sternly. Naruto sighed defeated and walked carefully to the door, trying not to lose balance. He hadn't known Sasuke would be so attentive to the littlest things, as no one else in his life ever had. They all overlooked things, made excuses. In actuality, they just didn't get.

He sat heavily on the seat, pouting like a little child who hadn't gotten ice cream. "Why do you bother?" he mumbled under his breath, not expecting an answer. He leaned his head against the window, to find it was as cool as the lunch table had been. His eyes began to close, and before the blonde lost himself in sleep, he heard the unexpected answer.

"I don't know."

Sasuke sighed as he glanced to the now sleeping teen. It frustrated him how Naruto couldn't just be honest with him, but at the same time, he knew that if he were in Naruto's place, he would lie too. He already refused to show weakness to anyone, especially at home, but he didn't want Naruto to feel like that. As he studied the sun-kissed boy, he noticed that his face held a peaceful look. It was the first time he'd ever seen the boy look anything close to serene, and he thought the look suited the blonde. He wanted to see that look again, when the boy wasn't sleeping.

In the back of his head, he wondered just what this boy had endured for him to be so far from happy, that lying had become his reality. He realized that he did the same, but he knew his own reason. He didn't want anyone else to understand that, to go through that - he could only hope the blonde's story was different than his own.

He pulled in front of the boy's house, stepping out of the car, and going to the passenger's side. Carefully opening the door, he caught a sleeping Naruto in his arms. The boy didn't even stir as Sasuke carried him to the door. Sasuke slipped his hand into the pocket of Naruto's jeans, where he'd seen the boy take his key from yesterday, and quickly found it. After successfully unlocking the door, he invited himself in to lay Naruto on the couch.

"Foolish boy..." he sighed, seeing the house was completely spotless - almost as if no one lived there. "You push yourself too hard."

The blonde mumbled incoherently as Sasuke walked towards the kitchen, figuring he might as well cook something for the idiot child who wouldn't take care of himself properly. Looking around, the only food he had in his house was cup ramen, and bread. Sighing, since his options were so limited, he started boiling water in order to make ramen. His attention was drawn back to the blonde when he heard him mumbling again, this time clearer, and louder.

"N-No, please! Please, don't. No - STOP!" His voice shook, and his face was contorted in fear and pain, though his eyes were still closed. "NO! Don't take her from me. Don't touch her! Don't take her from me again!" His shoulders shook like he was crying. "**Don't touch her you asshole! **T-take me instead! She didn't do anything, why?!"

"Naruto," Sasuke shook the boys shoulders, "Wake up Naruto, you're dreaming, wake up, damn it!"

"**Stop!**" The boy shot up, breathing heavily, and close to tears. He buried his face into his hands, his shoulders shaking as if he was in frigid conditions.

"Naruto?" Sasuke alerted the boy once more of his existence, causing the blonde to jump. His eyes widened as if he'd been caught stealing from the cookie jar. "Is everything alright?"

"Y-yeah, everything's fine." the shaking blonde responded, earning a pointed look from the raven.

"Yeah right, Naruto, you're shaking like a leaf, and were yelling in your sleep. Would you like to talk about it?"

"I was yelling?" The blonde looked terrified now. Sasuke gave a simple nod. "Oh God..."

"Naruto..."

"You want an explanation, don't you." Naruto stated, cutting him off.

"Well, yes, I do..." Sasuke said. "If you don't want to tell me you don't have to." he assured the blonde. He didn't want his selfish thirst for the explanation to cause the boy to be hurt more.

"You have the right to know. No, it's not just that... I want you to know... I _need _you to know." Naruto was mumbling more to himself than to Sasuke by now. He looked up, and met Sasuke's glance evenly. "This isn't the whole story, as I don't know if I'll ever be able to remember, or relay, everything that's screwed with my mentality. I remember things, even when I was very little, because they haunt me here." he pointed to his heart.

Sasuke nodded, as an acknowledgment that he'd heard, and to allow the blonde to continue, but he was already reliving what bit of hell was on his mind.

_The house was dark, except for one room - the baby room. There sat Kushina, rocking a one-year old Naruto in her arms. Her eyes were closed as she hummed to the near-sleeping child in her arms. Everything seemed fine - just like every other night. That's why when Minato ran into the room, it alerted Kushina that something was definitely wrong._

"_Sweetie, take Naruto now and ran. Go through that window, and don't stop until you're somewhere safe. Go to the law firm for all I care, just go!" he whisper-shouted urgently._

"_Minato, what's going o-" she started, but he cut her off with a harsh whisper of "Now!"_

_She glided quickly to the windows, her hair tickling Naruto back into consciousness. Kushina gave her husband one last look before throwing the window open. By this time, however, it was already too late._

"_Don't move." a deep voice whispered, malice poorly disguised. It sent shivers down her spine, and froze her in place. She turned around slowly, to see Minato clutching the intruders knife with his bare hands. The sight of blood made Kushina sick, but she pushed that away with the amounting worry that swelled inside her. _

"_What do you want?" Minato's normally calm, collected voice growled out. _

"_I want you __**dead**__." the man snarled. "My boss should have been the CEO, not you. Because you have destroyed his dream, I will destroy everything you hold dear!"_

"_You're drunk. You're not thinking clearly." Kushina whispered, horrified. It was easy enough to tell. The stench of alcohol poured off the man, his eyes were bloodshot, and his speech was slurred._

"_Shut up, bitch. I'll kill you soon enough." he glanced over at her. Minato, beyond angry, lunged at the intruder, the knife cutting deeper into his skin, but he was able to, in the end, turn the blade on its owner. He didn't like that, and pulled another knife out from his coat. He got past Minato's defenses and stabbed it into his heart, twisting the blade to earn a yelp, before extracting it once more. Minato fell to the ground, in too much pain to continue in the fight. The wound caused him to bleed to death on the floor of his son's room._

_The man turned to the woman with a twisted smirk, his own blood, and Minato's blood splattered at random across his attire. "Wanna play?" he drawled, before Kushina let out a scream. It held agony, and fear - which the man seemed to enjoy. She was able to put Naruto - who was crying - into his crib before the man attacked her. She brought out a vial of poison from her jacket pocket - she'd had the habit ever since she was assaulted in an alley, and her best friend was murdered in one - and got into a fighting stance. She knew a bit about fighting, but had never actually used it since she learned it several years back. _

_The man's knife bit harshly into her arm. She was able to spill the poison across the man, and into the wound Minato had inflicted, allowing it access to the bloodstream. It was going to take a little longer for the full effects to kick in - and a little longer was all the man needed to finish her. _

_Naruto stood crying, hanging on to the side of his crib as if it was a jail cell. The man completely ignored it, as he took the pleasure to draw out Kushina's death. In the end, he'd had his way with her, and every bit of her was covered in gashes - of various sizes - and blood. The parts of her clothes that weren't torn were stained red, and clinging to her crying form. The pain the poison caused soon took effect, making the man take his own life, instead of waiting for the poison to do so itself._

_Kushina stared up at her son, tears still in her eyes, as she let her last words flow from her lips. "Naruto, sweetie, I'm sorry. I-I... I'm so sorry... P-please don't c-cry... I love... you..." Her eyes slowly closed, as she gave into her body's demands. _

"I will never forget how much blood had stained my room. The walls, the floor, all of it. And I will never forget the look on her face after she finished that sentence. She was peaceful, serene even. Everything that was something to her had been taken away, including her own life, but she was peaceful. So. Fucking. Peaceful. I used to hate her, because she left me. I used to hate them all. I used to hate everyone because of everything. They didn't understand - couldn't understand. I bounced between many happy families in foster care. Once they found out what happened to me, or just couldn't handle my personality, I went straight back to the foster home. One of them, I remember, one of the houses I went to live in was right by an alley. That alley is another personal hell for me, because I got raped there, and no one would believe me. No one cared..." he couldn't continue, as he let his tears overwhelm him. He couldn't stop them from falling. It was the first time he'd cried in eight years.

He froze when two arms wrapped around him, pulling him in a tight embrace, but soon relaxed enough to let his emotions continue to pour out.

Sasuke wasn't even sure why he'd done so, but it just seemed like the right thing to do. He couldn't just let the blonde cry, without showing that he wasn't going to turn away like everyone else had. He rubbed the blonde's back gentle to try and calm him down, as he remembered his mother doing for him, and he continued to cry, until his tears dried up, and his breathing evened out.

"Any better?" Sasuke whispered quietly. He received nothing more than the feeling of the boy's breath against his skin. "Naruto?"

He sighed as he realized he'd fallen asleep - and in his arms no less. He could hear the water boiling in the kitchen, so he carefully laid Naruto onto the couch, and went to finish making the ramen. He'd seen how little the boy had eaten at lunch, and figured that once he awoke that he'd be hungry.

As he finished cleaning up - after making the ramen - he couldn't help but think how quickly Naruto had gotten close to him - how easy he was to be around. For the raven haired teenager, it was quite unusual. Especially after losing his parents, and his trust for people. Ever since his brother had killed the most important person in his world - his mother - things had just gone downhill. For awhile, Sasuke wouldn't even speak, unless spoken to - and then he'd only give one or two worded answers. After a year of therapy, he started to actual associate with people more. His teachers commented on his improvement, and everything seemed to be going well.

That is, until Itachi Uchiha came back into his life. The older boy had waltzed right into his school, straight to the office, and explained that he was now Sasuke's legal guardian. Sasuke had, once told of this by the principal, proceeded to have a panic attack, and asked not to go home. Ever. He was psychoanalyzed after this display, in which they gave him medicine for anxiety, and sent home. Sasuke didn't come out of his room for about a week.

The raven shivered at the memory, hating himself for the control both the memory and his brother had over him. It didn't seem fair, but he could help feeling fear around his brother. Sure, he displayed anger and hate when he was around him, but deep inside was a never ceasing fear.

"Stop it." he told himself firmly.

"Stop what?" a second, very confused voice rang out - the sound of which made Sasuke jump. He turned around, only for his onyx eyes to land on cerulean.

"N-Naruto. When did you wake up?"

"About a minute ago. I ate the ramen while you zoned. It was really good. Thank you!" he beamed. "I was _really _hungry, and you knew to make ramen!"

"The only thing you have in this house is ramen and bread." Sasuke replied in a bored tone.

"Well, thanks anyway." he scratched the back of his head, grinning all the while.

"Are you feeling any better?"

"Actually, yeah, I guess I'm feeling a little better." Naruto began to bounce closer to Sasuke, instead of by the doorway, so they didn't have to talk loudly for the other to hear. However on his way, he tripped... and who better to catch his fall than Sasuke. With his lips.

That's right - when Naruto fell, he took Sasuke down as well, causing the two to lock lips. Sasuke's eyes widened, as Naruto quickly jumped up, blushing.

"I'm sorry." he said quickly, as red as a tomato.

"T-that's okay." The shock was evident on his face. "Let's just... pretend that didn't happen..."

"Y-yeah..." Naruto nodded, widen eyed to match Sasuke.

"Maybe I should leave now?" Sasuke took a step towards the door.

"You don't have to." Naruto replied quickly.

Sasuke gave a slightly sad smile. "I have to return tonight. If nothing more than to get my stuff from my _house,_" The word was spat with hate, "and to get out of there. Tell my brother off once and for all - until I'm ready for revenge."

"Revenge?" the blonde tilted his head to the side.

"Another time, perhaps, I'll tell you." Sasuke responded in a detached way.

The fox hesitated, before nodding. "The door's open, if you ever need a place to stay." The raven nodded in acknowledgment, continuing his trek to the door.

"Take care of yourself. You'd better not be in worse condition if and when I see you at school tomorrow." he said sternly, pausing to look over his shoulder.

"Don't count on it, but I'll try not to let you down." he smiled, as Sasuke walked out the door.

Neither one of them knew what was to come of the next few days...

**Authors Note: **So, that's the second chapter! I do realize that the characters, more likely than not, are out of character. I'm sorry for that, but some things are tweaked to better fit the story. I'll be introducing more character in the next chapter, so be ready for more out of character-ness. And please realize, this story does not have a proofreader. I am the only one who views this before it is posted, so yes, there will be mistakes. I'm not perfect, and I apologize. If you wish to point out a flaw, that is fine. But please review. I do appreciate feedback, and constructive criticism. Flames, however will be used to make steamy hot chocolate, and roast marshmallows. There's no song list this time, because I lost the list, and am too lazy to do anything about it. **Review!** Reviewers get candy, cake, cookies, brownies, or anything else their hearts desire! We could throw a party! (Yes, I'm slightly desperate for reviews, please don't disappoint!)

So click that pretty button that enables you to review. You know you want to...


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